An increasing number of securities firms are marketing and offering securities-backed lines of credit, or SBLOCs, to investors. SBLOCs can be a key revenue source for securities firms, especially in times of solid market returns and growing investment portfolios, when investors may feel more comfortable leveraging their assets. Firms market SBLOCs as a type [...]

At the swipe of a fingertip on a mobile device or the click of a mouse on a desktop computer, investors can access a broad range of automated investment tools. These tools range from personal financial planning tools (such as online calculators) to portfolio selection or asset optimization services (such as services that provide [...]

Interest rates affect the cost of your mortgage and credit cards, how much your savings grow, and the value of any bonds you hold. They also can influence growth in the overall economy. Interest rates are important in setting bond prices because changes in interest rates strongly influence changes in bond prices.

According to computer security experts, economic cyber-crime continues to surge. “Phishing” attacks — scams that use spam email or a fake website to lure you into revealing your bank or brokerage account information, passwords or PINs, Social Security number or other types of confidential information — have increased significantly since they were first discovered [...]

For several years now, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has offered bonds that can help protect against inflation. They’re called Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS. The bonds are issued with maturities of five, 10 and 30 years, and can help shelter you from inflation risk because their principal is adjusted semiannually for [...]

When you buy and sell securities like stocks and bonds, it’s important to review your trade confirmations, which you receive with every transaction. They contain key details about your trades. These include, among other things, the date and time of the transaction, the price at which you bought or sold a security and how [...]

If you are in your 60s and own your home, you have likely heard about reverse mortgages — or will soon. Reverse mortgages can be helpful to homeowners who want to stay in their homes but are having trouble keeping up with their mortgage payments, or who have no other source of funds to [...]